‘War with whom?’ Alum replied to my declaration. I pulled away from him and forced myself to breathe deeply. I’d thought this through before, and it made sense. I was sure of it.
‘Entregwa, at least. The rest is not up to us, though Wilbern and Milos may become involved.’
‘You speak of an invasion of Trent,’ Alum surmised. ‘I have counselled such an invasion previously, why do you act now?’
I pulled him into our chambers before we spoke. My handmaidens were all there, generously spread out over the furniture like spilt laundry, but I dismissed them. I’d originally intended merely to have them vacate my meeting room, but upon spying Terera making eye contact with Alum I bade them exit the building completely before I continued my conversation with Alum. The fact that he reciprocated her gaze caused me to reflect on the knowledge of his royal pardon for the first time since our marriage. I had never asked about it, but now I wondered if I should have. Since our argument, I’d wondered if there was a side to him I didn’t know, and I regretted not pressing for the knowledge when I was in Hollowhold. Was this a man accustomed to keeping dark secrets?
‘The circumstances are right,’ I reasoned once we were alone. ‘Firstly, Entregwa has occupied the lands bordering Ebonreach, allowing us the pretext of righteousness as we dislodge the rebels. Secondly, his forces will be focused in the east where Wilbern still prevails, allowing us a war with minimal resistance. Thirdly, the faerie guerrillas are far too expensive to maintain, and a state of actual war would successfully conclude the scheme. Fourthly, the Kingdom is in complete disarray, with both Milos and Ioran most likely considering Ebonreach an enemy, and the next season of Vizonian-backed Tokuan raids mere months away. The best way to strengthen Ebonreach is to expand it and increase our tax and manpower base.’
Alum nodded, similarly anxious but perhaps more excited than me. ‘If I were to count against that tally, I would say that Timoth’s absence is to our disadvantage. He is the most fearsome swordsman I have ever encountered and an excellent leader of men.’
‘Be that as it may, I am now set on this course.’
‘The course may yet run into rough terrain,’ Alum said. ‘I will present to you two such obstacles. The first is this: what will you do if Entregwa summons an army sufficient to defeat our own?’
‘Entregwa’s circumstances are much more precarious than our own. Sending such a force to the west would be to surrender the fight against Wilbern.’
‘Be that as it may, he may prefer to secure the lands already in his possession even if it provides a temporary reprieve for Duke Wilbern. In any case, the second obstacle is this: what will you do if we defeat Entregwa and occupy Iyasgorth and the lands that lie to its west, but receive a request countersigned by Wilbern and Milos thanking us for our assistance but demanding the return of the occupied land back to Trent?’
‘I will reply that the land historically belongs to the House Tfaeller and our victory in honourable combat against its occupier shows that Yoru smiles upon our claim.’
‘They may not receive such a response with grace,’ Alum replied.
‘Of course not, but we will be strong and they will still be embattled with the Vizonians. At that stage, we must consider our next move. To do so before then, in such a changing landscape, would be premature.’
‘I agree, Saemara,’ Alum replied. ‘I am impressed by your boldness. Recently, I spoke to you of how you were different to the girl I first met. You have reinforced that perception, though this time, your choice seems considered and of less immediate personal risk.’
That seemed like an insult to me, but Alum didn’t seem to intend it as such. I was still confused as to the status of our relationship. We hadn’t coupled in months thanks mostly to my intrusive handmaidens and partly to my pregnancy and affairs of state, but we’d gotten along cordially enough since our argument. He’d supported me after Timoth had disappeared into the Dreadwood Forest with the nymphs, and performed his countly duties correctly.
Wanting to put any doubts behind me, I sidled up to him and grabbed his arm, looking up into his eyes as I spoke. ‘No matter what happens, I think I could get through anything with you by my side.’
He looked away. ‘I’m glad you feel that way.’
I stood on my toes and kissed him. He kissed me back. I put a hand on the back of his head and tried to evolve the press of our lips into something more passionate and open-mouthed, but he merely kissed me on the lips a second time and then pulled away.
‘It seems to me that we have work to do,’ he said.
‘That is true,’ I replied, trying not to consider whether it could have waited until the morning. Still, a strong, nagging part of my mind wondered: did Alum find me ugly now that I was pregnant?
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Alum was right, there was a lot to do. Strict security arrangements had to prevail on the roads out of Trackford to prevent word of our preparations reaching Entregwa or anyone else. Only once these were installed could we actually begin the muster. Men of age were called up for battle, at first on the pretence of the Vizonian War to which we had truthfully been mustered. Simultaneously, letters were sent to all of Ebonreach’s soldiers beyond the County, mostly those in Mattrath, calling them to return home immediately. Alum’s personal soldiers founded a Hollowhold-style fencing ring to sharpen their skills. The blacksmiths and tanners worked overtime forging weapons of war, as did the officers and drillmasters who fashioned teenagers into soldiers. Even the women of the Reach were called into action to take up the tasks of their husbands wherever they had capacity.
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My handmaidens reduced in number, though to my annoyance Terera was not one of those lost to the war effort. If I hadn’tt been planning to leave the capital imminently, I would almost certainly have told the handmaidens that I’d enjoyed more than enough preparations for the birth of my child already, and that they should find some distant baron or landholder to assist instead.
Dusky Castle began to look complete, which was excellent news as its masons and carpenters and so on would be required to construct new fortifications once I had extended the County’s border. Of course, the castle was lean and bareboned, comprising an undecorated two-storey keep and a two-thirds encircling set of walls with its opening towards the Dreadwood Forest, but the work had nevertheless been completed incredibly quickly, thanks in large part to the availability of cheap immigrant labour.
Baron Urzo would be left in charge of Trackford in my absence. I appointed no regent for the affairs of the wider county as a clear declaration that I did not intend to leave its borders, and in one sense this was true. Alum, Tadruk, Fraedwin, and Regeda would travel with me at the head of the caravan, though Regeda would be the only one to remain when battle was joined as the men were all assigned to lead various platoons. The faerie king would lead his forces in person, joining us at the far end of the Dreadwood Forest ready for war.
Pregnant as I was I had to travel by carriage, though I chose an open-topped one so that my presence could reassure the troops. Wargwa would stand beside it obeying my every command, but with the absence of his saddle. I was not particularly concerned about the possibility of childbirth as I was not due for some time and it was only a journey of days to Iyasgorth. The biggest risk was that we might need to engage in a lengthy siege, but I doubted that Entregwa had time for such an affair. He would need a quick victory to buy himself time to defeat either me or Wilbern.
The longest wait was for the aggregation of supplies, namely rations but also archer’s arrows, spare equipment to replace that which was lost or damaged, iron for blacksmithing repairs, beasts to carry burdens and also for the butcher’s knife, medicinal herbs and draughts, and so on. The caravan which followed the army would be longer than the army itself, I joked at first and serenely commented when it became a reality.
Eventually, everything was in order. I was expected to give a speech to the soldiers before we departed. It had become apparent that the scale of the mobilisation precluded the mere assistance of King Milos and there were many rumours flying about. Most of them were accurate and I intended to address them.
‘Men of the Reach,’ I began from atop the balcony of the market hall. Thousands of men were arrayed before me. I spoke as loudly as I could, and hoped that my words would be passed on to those at the back. ‘Today is an auspicious day. Halivaara is divided. To the north, Frostlanders. To the south, desert nomads. To the east, the Vizonian Order divides the kingdom. To the west, the Tokuans who have already taken so much from us. No longer will Ebonreach be content to stand idle and watch the fall of the axe. Today, Ebonreach stands on its own two feet. Today, we are the axe! And you shall fall upon the vile Entregwa like an axe, reclaiming lands lost in the time of our forefathers. Your glory shall be long remembered, and so shall the name, “Ebonreach”!’
A cheer went up among the men. I had not always been popular among them, and certainly there were many who remembered my disregard for their profession, but that seemed to have changed. Families were glad to see the return of those assigned elsewhere in Halivaara by the King, and the soldiers were grateful for the immediate cessation of search parties in the Dreadwood Forest after a death. Above all else, I think the successful defence of Trackford when it was besieged by Tokuans had swayed at least the local defenders to my side.
With that said, I descended the building and made my way to the carriage at the front of the column wherein waited Alum, Tadruk, and Regeda. Of course, we were truly at the front of the column - scouts had long since departed to secure the perimeter around the caravan - but it appeared as such to all. Wargwa’s hulking form shadowed our vehicle in the burgeoning sunlight of the morning, but I nevertheless noticed a second carriage behind us. This contained one man I did not recognise, Fraedwin, Tefgae, and, much to my chagrin, Terera. What was she doing with the army?
It was too late to ask, and too many eyes were upon me to risk creating a scene simply because I disliked and distrusted the woman, so I let it go. The driver whipped the horses into motionand we finally set out. I reflected on my relationship with Terera. Part of me felt that I was judging her as I’d often been judged: as someone too attractive to have innate value and unable to be trusted in the presence of men. I knew that she was far from the most innocent of my handmaidens, but that did not mean that she was a harlot. If I was to be stuck with her for the duration of the campaign, I resolved to make more of an effort with her - though that didn’t mean I intended to let her anywhere near Alum.
When we stopped for lunch in the Dreadwood Forest - the usual orders regarding burning only dead wood and not venturing from the trail having been issued - I discreetly inquired about Terera’s presence. Apparently she was the daughter of a prominent Iyasgorth landholder who had sympathies with Ebonreach and wanted to return home. At least that meant I wouldn’t have to journey both ways with her. Besides, her inclusion made political sense: our actions were not an invasion, how could they be when we were reuniting families separated by our enemy?
The speed of a column with thousands of men- and which trails thousands more men and women - is vastly inferior to that of a mounted party of a dozen or less. Therefore, it took us the better part of a week to reach the border with Trent. I surreptitiously despatched careful search parties to look for Timoth once more but no evidence was found, and I was reluctant to blacken the mood by risking expeditions deeper into the Forest.
Finally, we emerged into the daylight of the agricultural plains east of the Dreadwood Forest. Almost immediately, we were met by the faerie king. His forces marched out of the forest parallel to mine, their small stature, wide silhouette (on account of their wings), and lack of formation making it difficult to gauge their number, but there were at least a thousand of them. There could just as easily have been two or even three thousand; a substantial addition to our forces.
‘Greetings, Countess Saemara. The stars were in a fortuitous alignment during the night,’ the faerie king said to me. He was laden with leather straps from which protruded dagger hilts and various plants and grasses.
‘That is pleasing to hear, for presently we march on Iyasgorth.’
‘At your command, Countess Saemara.’
‘Forward - to Iyasgorth!’